WEST MICHIGAN – Michigan’s 76th District state House race is one of the nation’s state-level “races to watch,” says the Washington, D.C.-based Republican State Leadership Committee.

State Rep. Winnie Brinks, D-Grand Rapids, is the Democratic nominee for re-election to the 76th District state House seat. Donijo DeJonge, right, is the Republican nominee.

The organization that touts itself as “building the farm team” for the GOP has highlighted Donijo DeJonge as one of 14 “Right Women, Right Now” Republicans running for state office across the country. DeJonge is trying to unseat incumbent state Rep. Winnie Brinks, D-Grand Rapids, who has gotten kudos of her own as a female lawmaker.

“We are focused on, obviously, maintaining the current majority we have (in Michigan), but, as well, being on offense where we see an opportunity to flip (seats) from Democratic control,” said Jill Bader, spokeswoman for the Republican organization. “We want to highlight them and give them an extra push.”

DeJonge earlier this month won a three-way Republican primary for that party’s nomination to the 76th District seat. Brinks, who won the seat two years ago amid the Roy Schmidt party-switching scandal, was unopposed for the Democratic nomination this month.

The Republican State Leadership Committee earlier this month highlighted a first set of 14 women candidates across the country including Holly Hughes, a former state rep who is trying to avenge her 2012 defeat to state Rep. Collene Lamonte, D-Montague.

Those campaigns also are top priorities for Michigan House Democrats, said state Rep. Brandon Dillon, D-Grand Rapids, campaign chairman for the caucus.

“We can’t lose seats we already picked up,” he said. “That’s the first priority is making sure we get incumbents back. We know (the Republicans) are going to spend a lot of money (in those campaigns).

“We know that they would like to target this seat. The district is about a 50-50 (Democrat-Republican) district so we intend to make sure we’re doing everything we can to help Winnie.”

Daniela Garcia

Brinks won the 76th District seat by almost a 2-to-1 margin over Schmidt in 2012, but got only 52.1 percent of the total vote as several candidates entered the race in the wake of the election-rigging scandal. William Mohr, a U.S. Taxpayers Party candidate who got 3 percent of the vote in 2012, is back on the ballot this year.

The Republican State Leadership Committee also listed Daniela Garcia, the GOP nominee for the 90th District state House seat, as one of 14 state-level minority candidates in its Future Majority Project. Garcia, of Holland, is on the Nov. 4 ballot with Democrat James Haspas. State Rep. Joe Haveman, R-Holland, the incumbent in the 90th District, is being term-limited out of office.